You must be a full digital subscriber to read this article.
You must be a digital subscriber to view this article.

remaining of

You must be a full digital subscriber to read this article.
You must be a digital subscriber to view this article.
We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

remaining of

You must be a full digital subscriber to read this article.
You must be a digital subscriber to view this article.
On your next view you will be asked to log in or create an account to continue reading.

remaining of

You must be a full digital subscriber to read this article.
You must be a digital subscriber to view this article.
On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.

remaining of

Thank you for signing in! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

remaining of

You must be a full digital subscriber to read this article.
You must be a digital subscriber to view this article.
We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

remaining of

You must be a full digital subscriber to read this article.
You must be a digital subscriber to view this article.
We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

remaining of

You must be a full digital subscriber to read this article.
You must be a digital subscriber to view this article.
We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

remaining of

You must be a full digital subscriber to read this article.
You must be a digital subscriber to view this article.
We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

Already have access?
Log In
Create an account or activate digital
Sign Up

In this May 2018 file photo, Riverviews Artspace gallery manager Jill Jenson (left) and Dave Keebler hang up art in the Riverview Artspace's Coop Gallery. Although Riverviews has closed and postponed its March events, its galleries still can be viewed online.

This 2016 file photo shows a World War II SBD Dauntless dive bomber that was found in Lake Michigan and was meticulously restored. It is on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle.

Courthouse Square on Main Street in downtown Fincastle includes, from left, the old jail which is now the chamber of commerce, the Botetourt County Historical Museum and the Botetourt County Circuit Courthouse.

Oh, the places you'll go -- from home! Here are some ways to explore Lynchburg and Virginia virtually

William Sharswood Ellison designed the former courthouse which now serves as the Lynchburg Museum.

The News & Advance file

In this May 2018 file photo, Riverviews Artspace gallery manager Jill Jenson (left) and Dave Keebler hang up art in the Riverview Artspace's Coop Gallery. Although Riverviews has closed and postponed its March events, its galleries still can be viewed online.

The News & Advance file

In this May 17, 2017 file photo, David Wood paints a recreated smokehouse at James Madison's Montpelier in Orange County.

Richmond Times-Dispatch file

This 2016 file photo shows a World War II SBD Dauntless dive bomber that was found in Lake Michigan and was meticulously restored. It is on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle.

The (Fredericksburg) Free Lance-Star file photo

Courthouse Square on Main Street in downtown Fincastle includes, from left, the old jail which is now the chamber of commerce, the Botetourt County Historical Museum and the Botetourt County Circuit Courthouse.

The Roanoke Times file photo

The Fountain Garden and the Conservatory at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, March 29, 2013.

With the closure of public places, here is a list of ways to explore the area without leaving home.

Lynchburg

The Lynchburg Visitor Center, located at 216 12th Street, is temporarily closed to the public until further notice. During this time, the Visitor Center will have a curbside kiosk with brochures for self-guided walking and driving tours. The Lynchburg Museum at the Old Court House and Point of Honor also are closed.

Riverviews Artspace has announced it will close and postpone events. Riverviews has added additional photos (with more to come), exhibition lists, and 360 views of its galleries to make sure artists’ works are still accessible to the community.

Virginia

The Virginia Tourism Corporation has released a list of places around the commonwealth that offer virtual tours.

Mount Vernon will continue its mission to educate people around the world through its robust digital presence. The historic site will provide digital tours of the mansion through mountvernon.org/virtualtour. The Washington Library also has prepared digital resources for students and parents. These resources can be accessed at mountvernon.org/digital. Mount Vernon’s YouTube channel also features a livestream of the estate’s newborn lambs.

James Madison’s Montpelier has publicly accessible blog posts, websites, podcasts and social media posts for visitors to enjoy. Access to podcasts and video series can be found on the site’s YouTube page. Those interested in the research, history, archaeology and collecting at Montpelier can visit the Digital Doorway for a wealth of information at digitaldoorway.montpelier.org.

Colonial Williamsburg is adding content to its Explore From Home website. Resources include guides for teachers, quizzes and puzzles for students, interactive timeline, pages for exploring art collections and printable coloring sheets from The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, as well as libraries, archives and other cultural institutions around the world.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle has a virtual tour and numerous distance learning opportunities. The rich, interactive virtual environment will serve as the gateway for Marines and visitors to see the museum from the comfort of their homes. The museum’s online distance learning programs engage audiences with the history of the United States Marine Corps. Programs include a plethora of virtual learning experiences and subject matter for people to learn important and interesting topics related to the Marine Corps. Take the virtual tour at irtualusmcmuseum.com and access the distance learning programs at usmcmuseum.com/distance-learning.html.

The Chrysler Museum of Art, located in Norfolk’s NEON Arts District, features 50 galleries, 30,000 objects and a world-renowned glass collection. Viewers can take a virtual tour through the galleries and explore the museum’s Digital Collections featuring European and American paintings, sculpture and decorative arts and works from African, ancient Egyptian, Pre-Columbian, Islamic and Asian cultures.

Join the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk for a Virtual Voyage every day at 2 p.m. on its Facebook page. Visitors can go behind the scenes, tour the zoo and check in on their favorite animals. The zoo’s Virtual Voyage website also offers augmented reality tours, printable activity sheets, a YouTube video series, and more.

The Kids Square Children’s Museum in Roanoke will go live on Facebook at least once a day during the week until reopening, with science experiments and book reading. Visitors joining the livestream have the chance to win one of the items that Kids Square is playing with that day.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke has images and background information on nearly every item in the rail, road, air, and ship collections. Collections are separated by category and can be accessed here: http://www.vmt.org/collections/ collections/.

The William King Museum of Art in Abingdon will be broadcasting live via Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Videos will include tours of the galleries, insider looks at collections, family-friendly art projects, and live art demos.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond is sharing “Virtual Visits” on its Facebook page as well as putting resources for learning (including activities for kids) and ideas for relaxation and mental health on its website lewisginter.org.

Take a virtual tour around Virginia Beach’s cultural enclave by using this Google Mural Map to explore the ViBe Creative District on a virtual, self-guided mural tour. Click on the map icons to find information about the artists, artworks and locations, along with multiple images of the artwork and video links of murals created during the last two years of the ViBe Mural Festival.

The Barter Theatre in Abingdon is working to offer its patrons the ability to stream productions from home. The production of “Peter Pan” that was originally scheduled to open April 7 will be online for patrons as well as access to special bonus features. The theatre also will be providing coordinating educator resources, including lesson plans and a study guide. More information can be found here: bartertheatre.com/barter-theatre-on-demand

The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach will provide entertaining, educational content to fans including live streams, video footage, crafts for children and behind the scenes peeks on its website and social media channels.

The City of Alexandria created a new web hub called ALX at Home, which brings residents and nearby visitors their favorite Alexandria restaurants, shops and attractions to the comfort of their own home. Features include:

+ 50+ restaurant and 15 retail deals and offerings.

+ Attraction offerings such as virtual tours and a “Ride it Out” bike rental program from Unlimited Biking.

+ Cocktail Corner for Happy Hour at home with instructional videos from The Hour boutique.

The Omni Homestead Resort’s podcast, Beyond the Tower, offers an insider’s look into one of America’s most iconic resorts. From historical anecdotes to one-of-a-kind experiences, Beyond the Tower includes topics from the history of the resort and golf to the Garth Newel Music Center and the resort’s partnership with a local farmer.

Each episode begins and ends with “Welcome to My Homestead,” an original composition from David Hill, a native of Roanoke and one of the resort’s most popular musicians.

Watch this discussion.Stop watching this discussion.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.